According to the Hearing Health Foundation, normal conversation has a decibel (dB) level of sixty. A symphony orchestra runs around 110 dB – the same as a jackhammer!
So it’s no surprise that as many as 50% of musicians suffer from a hearing problem. But noise-induced hearing loss isn’t just a concern for rockers and thrash music lovers, it’s something for classical musicians to take note of too!
What can you do to protect your hearing?
- Get a baseline test of your current hearing range – and look towards hearing protection if you aren’t already using it.
- Look towards using earplugs – these could be regular musician’s foam earplugs or more expensive electronic earplugs or in-ear monitors. The choice is yours!
- Wear your earplugs when you are listening during rehearsal as well as playing.
- If you can, don’t sit among musicians during a rehearsal if you aren’t rehearsing yourself – Try to find some physical separation to reduce the sound level reaching you.
- Use your earplugs even when practicing at home. A Violin’s decibel levels fall between 84 and 103. The vibrations and decibels coming from the violin right by your ear will be on the higher end.
- If you are listening to music with headphones, think about checking the volume levels – this all has an impact on hearing loss!
Want to find out more? Check out the Musicians’ Union for useful articles and a Hearing Health Scheme HERE